


Lucky Number Nine

by Carbon65



Category: Graceland (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drug Use, Drug trafficking, F/M, Forced Prostitution, Human Trafficking, Implied Character Death, Prose Poem, Prostitution, Violence against women, ep 2x6 The Unlucky One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 14:25:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2655323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carbon65/pseuds/Carbon65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She swallows nine condoms of heroine. Lucky Number Nine.</p><p>Paige's perspective on the events of 2x06.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lucky Number Nine

  
Lucky number nine.  
She calls Jakes for back up.  
She tells him to follow her.  
She trusts him to follow her.  
Cowboy hat takes her.  


The world goes black.

...StOmACh... hurtS?  
...HeR ...stoMacH. HurTs.  
Her... stomach  Aches.  
...Like someone... ....turned it inside out.  
Everything... everything came ... up.  
And then it ... came up again.  
And again...  
And again.  
Until all she had was the foul syrup.

They yell.  
Nine condoms.  
Why not ten?  
They put ten in.  
Your life isn’t worth that last condom.  
And, oh, she knows it.  
Her life isn’t worth anything here.  
None of their lives are worth anything here.

She shakes.  
The man takes her from the cold metal table.  
He drags her through the white hallways.  
White hallways.  
Epoxy floor.  
Clear epoxy window.  
He throws her against a wall.  
He throws her against a drape.  
He throws her against a scratchy gray sheet.  
He threatens her with a loss of citizenship.  
She strips off her tank top, her shorts, her bra.

She stabs him in her head.  
This man has killed already.  
This man might kill her.  
This man killed Anika.  
This man will kill Lena.  
If she is dead, she cannot save Lena.  
She smiles for the camera.

She gives Lena a quavering smile.  
She sits next to the girl.  
She shivers.  
The girls are splayed on the furniture.  
Not ladylike, not at all.  
She shoves her mother’s voice out of her head.  
Fuck her mother’s “ladylike”.  
A lady was the guardian of her castle.  
A lady was a mother to her people.  
A lady was a warrior to be feared.  
Fuck her mother’s ladylike.  
She will be a lady.

Time passes slowly.  
The clock ticks.  
Tick, Toc.  
Tick. Toc.  
Tick.  
Toc.  
On tv, a pair of pretty girls talk about boys.  
On tv, a pair of pretty boys talk about girls.  
On tv, girl A slaps girl B.  
No one flinches.  
No one moves.  
Tick. Toc.

Things change quickly.  
They are ordered into line.  
They take numbers.  
She is number six.  
Lucky number six.  
They hold their lucky numbers like prisoners.

 

The man in the suit comes in.  
The guard takes off his bag.  
He’s sweating in the heat.  
The man in the suit looks at Lena.  
She sees the way he tooks at Lena.  
She tells Lena to cough.  
She tells Lena to cough blood.  
The man in the suit, he doesn’t want a girl who coughs up blood.  
He leaves without taking any of them.

Silver hair hurts Lena.  
He threatens Lena.  
They are saved by a phone call.

She realizes she is alone.  
Her team does not know where she is.  
If they did, they would have come already.  
She thought she could rely on Jakes.  
Fuck Jakes.  
Fuck Jake’s drunken ass.  
Fuck Jake’s drunken ass to hell.

She has to get through this.  
She has to find a way out.  
She has to save Lena.  
She has to save herself.  
She makes a plan.  
She makes a promise.

Escape doesn’t go well.  
They makes their way out, down the corridor.  
They finds the door out.  
It’s the fastest way.  
She busts down the door.

They are nearly naked.  
The night is warm.  
The air kisses their skin.  
They run.  
They get to the fence.

Strong hands pull her down.  
A pipe hits her leg.  
She cries out.  
She cannot help herself.  
The attempt has failed.  
They will die.  
She and Lena.  
They will die.

She is number five.  
Lucky number five.  
Mike comes to “buy” her.  
She wonders if he feels as sick to his stomach as she does.  
His hair is mussed.  
His face is sweaty.  
His voice is husky.  
His voice shakes.  
Mike’s voice does not shake.

She fights.  
She fights long and hard.  
He asks to talk to her alone.  
She tells him to buy Lena.  
She slaps him.  
It doesn’t matter who he is to her, she promised to get that girl out.  
She can survive.  
He can give her tools, and she can survive.

Lena won’t survive.  
Lena doesn’t have the tools.

They can come back for her.  
Briggs can come back for her.  
Johnny can come back for her.  
Jakes can come back for her.  
Hell, Mike can come back for her.  
If she doesn't get Lena out now, no one will come back for Lena.  
If she doesn’t get Lena out now, Lena will end up like Anika.  
If she doesn’t get Lena out now, there will be more blood.

He keeps his cool as they ride in the red van.  
No one would know something was wrong.  
Except for the sweat prickling along the back of his neck.  
She can see the edge of his collar.  
He’s a smooth operator.  
Mike fucking Warren.

They get into his car.  
His face is the color of oatmeal.  
All the evidence is gone.  
Carlito is gone.  
Mike is emotional.  
His voice is shaking.  
His eyes are bright.  
He is begging.  
The girls are his only hope.  
The girls are Mike’s ticket to his future.  
He’s going to leave them in.

His word is shit.

Lena is dead.  
It’s Mike’s fucking fault.  
Lena is dead.  
Her number is up.

They welcome her home.  
Charlie embraces her.  
Charlie is warm and soft.  
Charlie smells like home.

 

Johnny hugs her.  
Johnny is strong and solid.  
Johnny feels like home.

 

Briggs holds her.  
Briggs is protective.  
Briggs feels like home.

  
Jakes watches.  
Mike watches.

Jakes tries to apologize.  
She feels empty.  
Jakes gives her a music box.  
She cries.

She’s not mad at Jakes.  
She’s mad at Mike.  
She’s mad at Jessica.  
She’s mad at the FBI, the DEA, Customs, and whole fucking United States Government.  
She’s mad at God.  
She’s mad at herself.

That night, she leaves Mike fucking Warren to sleep with his word.  
That night, she leaves Mike fucking Warren to sleep with his conscience.  
That night, she leaves Mike fucking Warren to sleep with the ghosts of two young girls.  
That night, she leaves Mike fucking Warren to sleep alone.

 


End file.
